Yankees slugger Aaron Judge still experiencing wrist pain

Now past the initial three-week timetable for Aaron Judge’s return to the Yankees, the slugger recently took a cortisone shot to his injured right wrist but it still unable to swing a bat.

Did anyone in their right mind actually think a fractured wrist would fully heal in only three weeks time? Well, that’s what the Yankees would have had you believe back on July 27.

Of course, that timetable was contingent upon the most important right wrist in the New York area being pain-free — which even after taking a cortisone shot last week, is only now “kicking in.”

Following the Yanks 10-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Sunday, the frustrated Judge, whose begun participating in base running, agility and fielding drills told the NY Post that he still can’t pick up a bat due to persistent wrist pain.

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"“It’s still fractured,” said Judge, who had the wrist wrapped and had a cortisone shot last week in an attempt to hasten the recovery. “There is still a little bit of pain in there, but that’s what we are trying to get past right now. It takes about four to six weeks for stuff like that to heal so wait for that six weeks.’’"

That four-to-six week window could potentially delay Judge’s return for the critical Sept. 7 series vs. the Mariners in Seattle. However, the club is holding out hope that once Judge is cleared to begin taking swings, and then batting practice (two entirely different things), it should make for minimal time before he sets off on a minor league rehab assignment.

In Judge’s absence, we’ve watched Shane Robinson and Neil Walker split time in right field. And as I’ve stated in the past, the more Walker plays, the worse his stats seem to get — as his .143/.308/.286 slash line with one homer and 3 RBIs in his past seven games (21 at-bats suggest).

As for Robinson, he’s now 4-for-35 over his last 30 games and should be used as nothing more than a late-inning defensive replacement.

With 11 days left for teams to make trades that allow those acquired to join a Postseason roster, perhaps now, saddled with this latest news of Judge’s delayed recovery, general manager Brian Cashman will go out and deal for a veteran outfielder such as Curtis Granderson or Andrew McCutchen.